National Security

Two Suspects Detained For Aiding Terrorist Who Attacked Paris Airport

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Russ Read Pentagon/Foreign Policy Reporter
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French police detained two people who allegedly helped provide a gun to a suspected terrorist who attacked two soldiers guarding Orly airport in Paris.

The two unidentified suspects were originally detained Monday and remained in custody Tuesday. They could face charges of association with a terrorist enterprise for aiding Ziyed Ben Belgacem, who went on a violent shooting spree in Paris that lasted several hours and resulted in the injury of one female soldier.

Belgacem began his attack when he fired a revolver loaded with bird shot at a police officer manning an identity-check station in the Parisian suburb of Garges-les-Gonesse. He later proceeded to the Orly airport and attacked a female soldier before being shot to death by another French soldier. He was heard shouting “I am ready to die for Allah” while grappling with the female soldier and attempting to steal her weapon, according to Paris prosecutor Francois Molins, who described Belgacem as “an extremely violent individual.”

Belgacem was reportedly known to French authorities due to his violent criminal history which spanned at least 16 years. Molins said authorities noticed “signs of radicalization” while Belgacem was in prison. Terrorist organizations in Europe are known to target young, incarcerated Muslims for recruitment.

It is unclear whether or not Belgacem and his alleged co-conspirators were part of a larger terrorist network.

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